Residents will have ambulance coverage

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Uniontown and North Union residents will have an ambulance to serve them on Sunday, when Uniontown Firemen's Ambulance Corp. is scheduled to close its doors, according to a city official.

“They'll (residents) call 911, and there will be an ambulance dispatched. We will have ambulance service,” Uniontown Councilman Phil Michael said.

Representatives of Firemen's Ambulance, which operates independently from the municipalities and serves all of the city and part of the township, informed elected leaders this week that the group would be shutting its doors at 7 a.m. Sunday.

“They told us it was financial issues,” said Michael, city director of accounts and finance.

Ron Dorula, the ambulance service EMS director, declined comment.

Michael, the city's mayor and chief clerk were interviewing representatives of ambulance services Friday to find a replacement. They talked to officials from Rostraver, Markleysburg, Fayette EMS and Greene County ambulance groups, Michael said.

Tom McAlree, executive director of Emergency Medical Services Institute in Pittsburgh, which works in cooperation with 911 dispatch centers, did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

Fayette EMS posted a statement about serving the township on its website.

“Fayette EMS is proud to announce that we start covering all of the citizens of North Union Township effective Sunday at 7 a.m.,” it stated. “This is by order of the North Union board of supervisors. We thank them for their confidence and will work hard to service the citizens of the township.”

Firemen's Ambulance employed 13 people and operated two ambulances 24 hours a day, seven days a week, using space at the fire station on Beeson Street, Michael said.

Government officials were attempting to have some of Firemen's employees hired by other ambulance groups, Michael said.

Bob Stiles is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-836-6622 or bstiles@tribweb.com.

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